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New data indicates the current El Niño is the strongest ever recorded, driving a major shift in global weather patterns. The warming of the eastern Pacific is expected to bring droughts, floods and altered rainfall across multiple continents, with scientists warning communities to prepare for extreme conditions. The findings have prompted widespread discussion among climate experts and the public about what the record-strength event means for weather forecasts, agriculture and disaster planning worldwide.

The Reserve Bank of Australia is expected to resume raising its key interest rate as policymakers lose patience with stubbornly slow progress on inflation. Economists are weighing the timing and size of the next move, with households and markets bracing for the return of monetary tightening after a pause.

The Ukrainian Air Force says its MiG-29 jets carried out a strike on a Russian command post in the northern sector of the front. According to the unit, Russian forces had been concentrating personnel in the building for some time and had been moving equipment and ammunition into the site. The claim is being widely shared, with supporters framing it as a sign of Ukraine's continued ability to hit high-value Russian targets behind the lines.

ASML, the Dutch maker of advanced chipmaking equipment, says it is not selling its machines in Europe and has warned the region risks falling behind the United States, China and India in semiconductors. The remarks are drawing attention in tech and business circles, with debate over what they mean for Europe's industrial strategy and ambitions to build a domestic chip industry.

Ukraine has begun striking Russian border crossings with Belarus, responding to recent Russian attacks on Ukrainian border crossing points. A Ukrainian drone strike reportedly landed next to a crossing on the Russia-Belarus border. The exchanges mark an expansion of cross-border attacks, with border infrastructure on both sides now targeted as the war's front lines of logistics and supply come under pressure.

President Trump says he expects talks with Iran to begin this week, telling Axios this shortly after his administration turned down an Iranian proposal. The comments point to renewed diplomatic activity between Washington and Tehran despite the rejected offer. Officials and observers will be watching whether the talks materialise and what terms the US is now seeking.

Health authorities are tracking a growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with new attention on how the virus is spreading across affected areas. The World Health Organization and Congo's health ministry are expected to provide updated case and death figures as contact tracing and containment efforts continue. International observers are watching closely given the region's history of large Ebola epidemics and the risk of spread beyond current outbreak zones.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the 80th UN General Assembly in New York, laying out what Tehran describes as its red lines on nuclear weapons, Israel and regional security. His remarks underscore Iran's insistence that it does not seek nuclear arms while pushing back against Israel and Western pressure. The speech drew wide attention as tensions over Iran's nuclear programme and the region remain high.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared ahead of the 81st UN General Assembly that Iran 'will never seek to build a nuclear bomb,' restating Tehran's position that its nuclear programme is peaceful. The pledge comes as Iran's nuclear file returns to international attention ahead of the annual gathering of world leaders in New York, and observers are watching whether the statement signals a diplomatic opening.

French President Emmanuel Macron used his final address to the UN General Assembly to criticise Israel and condemn what he called Donald Trump's 'shameful' diplomacy over Gaza. The speech, delivered amid the ongoing conflict and stalled ceasefire efforts, signals sharp French frustration with US handling of the war.

US intelligence has reportedly warned Spain, France and Italy that Russia may be preparing drone attacks against targets in Southern Europe. The warning was reported by Spain's El Mundo, which said the intelligence was shared with European governments following CIA Director briefings. The news is spreading quickly across European social media, with users discussing what the reported threat could mean for southern Europe's security.

US intelligence has reportedly warned Spain, France and Italy that Russia may be preparing drone attacks against targets in Southern Europe. The alert was shared with European governments following contacts involving the CIA director, according to Spain's El Mundo. The report is drawing wide attention across France, Italy and Spain as governments face renewed questions about Russian activity on European soil.

Reporting by The Atlantic describes a covert administrative apparatus Russia is constructing in occupied Ukrainian territories, including proxy governance, local collaborators, and parallel institutions that consolidate control behind the front lines. The article argues this is a deliberate effort to make annexation permanent, shaping how analysts and policymakers view the prospects for any territorial settlement in the war.

Russian forces are urgently redeploying thousands of troops toward the Lyman frontline in eastern Ukraine, according to war monitoring reports. The move comes as Ukraine's 3rd Corps continues to make large advances in the area, with reports suggesting a degree of panic among the Russian command over the deteriorating situation there.

Pope Leo has pledged concrete action on clergy sexual abuse following a meeting with French survivors of abuse by Catholic clergy. The encounter comes as pressure grows on the Vatican to deliver on accountability promises, and survivors are watching to see whether the pledge translates into real measures. The meeting marks a significant moment in the Church's ongoing reckoning with abuse scandals in France.

The United States and China have reached a trade deal to lower tariffs on roughly $30 billion worth of "non-sensitive goods", following a meeting between President Trump and President Xi this week. The agreement is expected to reduce prices on a range of consumer products, including small appliances, toys and holiday items, and is drawing wide attention as a step toward easing trade tensions between the two economies.

Mike Waltz, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, said Iran was not negotiating 'in good faith' in efforts to end the war. The accusation, reported by The Guardian, adds to diplomatic tension around the conflict and suggests Washington sees Tehran's engagement in talks as insincere, complicating prospects for a ceasefire.

A New York Times report says investors on Wall Street are increasingly questioning the wave of spending and IPOs tied to AI data centers. Concerns center on whether massive capital expenditures will generate returns matching the valuations, with data center offerings facing a cooler reception than the broader artificial intelligence frenzy.

Chinese authorities are considering allowing ByteDance and Alibaba to purchase Nvidia's newest AI chips, according to a report by The Information picked up by Reuters. The possible approval would ease restrictions on two of China's largest technology companies as they race to build computing power for artificial intelligence. The report is drawing attention because it signals a potential shift in how Beijing balances domestic chip policy against its tech sector's demand for leading-edge semiconductors.

Chinese President Xi Jinping missed the dinner for world leaders at the G20 summit in New Delhi because he was unwell, according to people familiar with the matter. The report has fueled fresh speculation about the 70-year-old leader's health, coming just days before he was scheduled to travel to the United States, and has drawn wide attention and debate about his condition and absence from a key diplomatic gathering.

Hurricane Polo is being reported as one of the strongest storms ever recorded in its region, with the El Niño pattern cited as a key driver of its unusual intensity. Forecasters and weather watchers are tracking its path along the Pacific coast, where warm ocean waters linked to El Niño have been pumping extra energy into the system. Commentators are pointing to the storm as fresh evidence of how the current climate pattern is producing exceptional hurricane activity.

The Israeli military says it has found a 600-meter-long tunnel in Gaza, which it describes as a Hamas terror hideout, and footage shows its subsequent demolition. The discovery is being widely shared and discussed amid the ongoing war, with observers debating the scale of Hamas's underground network and the IDF's continued operations to destroy tunnel infrastructure across the territory.

Israeli forces have killed a militant who took part in the October 7 attack and was filmed abducting Israeli woman Noa Argamani, whose capture spread widely online. Argamani was later rescued by Israeli forces in June 2024 after months in captivity in Gaza. The death of one of the best-known figures from the Hamas-led assault is drawing fresh attention to the hostage crisis and Israel's ongoing campaign against those involved.